Camp Bestival is known for hosting some fabulous events and in previous years we have seen knight’s jousting and cowboys doing some amazing tricks whilst riding their horses.
This summer, we were in for a treat with Henry VIII’s arrival at Camp Bestival from Hampton Court Palace with the unmissable Tudors on Tour.
Presented by independent charity Historic Royal Palaces, this ‘festival within a festival’ was a big hit with kids and adults alike, allowing us to step into a living Tudor world.
There was so much to do that we visited everyday to see the magnificence and splendour of the Tudor court through a spectacular mix of theatre, games, and live craft demonstrations.
I loved strutting my stuff in the height of 16th century fashion in the Tudor Costume Tent, although was secret relieved I didn’t have to wear it all day as it was rather warm. We also go to travel back to 1540 and meet Henry VIII in The King’s Pavilion, acting as we would have at that time – you must bow and never turn your back on the king, but he did answer Isaac’s cheeky questions with humour and a glint of mischief in his eye.
We also got to wield a deadly weapon and test our aim with a cross-bow and were able to see the skills of the master crafts-people and stonemasons who built and maintained palaces as magnificent as Hampton Court and the Tower of London and dipped our own candle to help bring light to the palace.
My only disappointment with it was that we could see how the Tudors cooked their roast beef for the King in front of their roaring fire however we were not able to sample the meat due to the health and safety ruling.
Isaac now wants to go to Hampton Court Palace to see how the Tudors’s lived in the palace and I plan to do that very soon.
